Libby's Turn

Marathon
No LL

Well it is about 3 years since we started this phase of our lives. Some things stay the same, missing family and friends, always something new to learn, and enjoying each other’s company. Some things are getting better, my level of confidence in myself as a sailor, the number of new friends that we meet, then find again along the way, being comfortable with this lifestyle (foot pumps for water, sun showers, using the same space or thing for multiple uses, and a constantly rocking environment). We are healthier, more relaxed, and definitely more self sufficient. I'm glad we are traveling with no final destination in sight.
Libby

A Day In Key West

Marathon
No LL

Yesterday we rode the bus down to Key West, just to be tourists for a day. The bus is a real bargain. It only costs us $1 each to ride the bus from Marathon to Key West; a 90 minute ride.

Key West hasn't changed much since the last time we were there. We still haven't seen the Key West night life, but during the day it is full of tourists. Lots of tourists. There are about 500,000 tourists that come to Key West every month during the winter. I understand that the late night crowd is very (very very) different, but sailor's midnight is 8PM so we don't get to see much of them.



We bought a conch shell with the top cut off, so that we can begin practicing to join the daily conch shell serenade at the moment of sunset. We love listening to that and I think we'll love it even more if we can join in.

The high point for the day was a visit to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. It was amazing. We recommend that as a stop for anyone visiting Key West. It is much better than the butterfly garden in Montreal. We spent a couple of hours there saying oh and ah about all the beautiful creatures flying around us. We also took 179 pictures; too many to post on this blog, but at a later date I'll post the best one.

On the way back, as we waited for the bus, our friends Ted and Nancy from Solomons, MD came riding by on bicycles. How nice it is to have chance meetings with friends, and how nice it is that it happens more and more often to us along the East Coast.

A New Boneheaded Stunt, Literally

Marathon, FL
N 24 42.391 W 081 05.683, (See the map)

This must be the season to entertain my blog readers with dumb stunts. Yesterday, I strung out my hammock between the mast and the fore stay (as I've done many times before). This time, as I climbed in to the hammock it immediately let loose and dropped me. My head cracked on the hatch, and my back on the cabin bulkhead. To be honest, it didn't hurt very much.

In the pictures, you can see the broken fan housing, and the three cracks propagating outward. The cracks go all the way through, the structural integrity is destroyed.



When I turned around, I was shocked to see that my head had broken both the Nicro solar powered fan and the underlying transparent hatch cover. That hatch cover was made of 25x25x0.5 inch Plexiglas (arylic) or Lexan (polycarbonate). That stuff is super strong, probably even bullet proof at that thickness. How did my poor old bony head crack it? Two things: First, it must have been fatigued by UV exposure. Second, the cracks emanate from three small plastic feet on the bottom of the fan. Those feet concentrated all the force to point loads.

Now I need to replace the fan and the cover. It is a matter of safety. If that cracked cover were to fall apart when a big wave breaks over the bow at sea, it could fill the cabin with water and sink us. The Nicro fan also has a feature that allows us to close the opening to keep sea water out.

The first thing I found is that Nicro is out of business and that replacement fans in stock are rare and getting rarer. I found that defender.com claims to have 2 left in stock, but I had to pay $200 for the stainless steel model. (Ouch)

The hatch needs to be strong enough to support me, plus Libby both standing on it at the same time. Apparently, it also needs to be strong enough to withstand 200 pound men falling from the sky head first.

I did a little research on the Web. I can buy a Lexan replacement 25x25x0.5 inches for $188, or 25x25x0.25 for $120. Lexan is strongest. I can buy a Plexiglas replacement 25x25x0.5 for $80. I think 0.25 Lexan is about the same strength as 0.5 Plexiglas, but I'm not sure. Both claim UV stabilization, but I'm not sure which is better.

When I look at the engineering properties of polycarbonate versus acrylic I see a lot of numbers quotes for moduli and parameters, that I find hard to translate into useful information. I have lots of readers with engineering knowhow. Which material, which thickness should I order?

Boneheaded Stunt of the Year

Marathon, FL
N 24 42.391 W 081 05.683, (See the map)

What a knucklehead I am. I put the portable generator up in the bowsprit when we are moored like this. That makes it quieter when it is running. Today, I decided to check the oil level. However, I didn't think to stop the engine first.

I unscrewed the little yellow plastic dipstick holder with one hand while tipping the engine back with the other hand. When I got it lose, I was rewarded with a spray of oil in my face. YIKES! I was startled and dropped the yellow thing.

Now, oil was spraying out of that hole like water from a garden hose. I put my hand over it, but that didn't do any good. After about 3 seconds, my brain worked and I reached up and turned the engine off.

What a mess! Since the nose of the boat points upwind, the wind helped to carry the spray. I had oil all over myself, the windlass, the fore deck, the life raft, halfway up the mast, both transparent hatch covers, and all the way back to the dodger 20 feet away. Some of it even went down through the open hatch in to the V-berth.

I screamed at Libby for help. I didn't dare move or do anything because whatever I touched would be bathed in oil. She came up with an oil absorbent cloth for me. When she looked around, her comment was, "Ay ay ay - ay ay." That's the same thing the man said in "The Gods Must Be Crazy," when he looked up and saw his Land Rover up in a tree.

Not only that, but we had invited 6 people over to Tarwathie to play Balderdash. They were due to arrive in 30 minutes. We cleaned up the mess the best we could with the oil absorbent cloth plus soap and water. It seemed to clean up pretty good except the fiberglass life raft cover. I thing that cover had never been waxed, so the oil soaked in and the stains won't come out.

I went below, stripped naked, and washed myself down, then put on new clothes. The clothes that got bathed in oil are probably not salvageable.

Unfortunately for you, dear readers, I didn't think to ask Libby to bring the camera when I screamed for help. You would have loved it.

Sperm Made From Female Bone Marrow, Men Obsolete?

Marathon
No LL

I checked my favorite web sites this morning and when I looked at slashdot I said, "Oh My God. Oh My God. I knew this day must come sometime, but I'm not ready for it." The headline on the article said, "Sperm Made From Female Bone Marrow, Men Obsolete?"

I did get up early today to see Venus and Jupiter. They were very close to each other in the sky but not so close as to appear to be a single planet. Did I get the date wrong? Must I be on a different point on the globe to see it?